EXCLUSIVE: Cat Davies’ The Bar and Melodie Karczewski’s Great Minds have won the Grass Routes competition for TV scripts by writers from working-class backgrounds.
The two writers were chosen from a shortlist of 10, with the competition aiming to find underrepresented talents from working-class backgrounds to help kickstart their careers in the TV industry.
Each winner will receive a share of a £5,000 prize, plus a further fee to option the scripts.
The programme was launched in 2023 by Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters’ Matriarch Productions, and Phil Temple’s Studiocanal-owned Birdie Pictures. It received over 1,500 submissions.
Matriarch and Birdie will work with the winning writers to find agents and introduce them to key industry executives.
“It was a joy, though not a surprise, to read so many quality scripts by working-class writers who have not had the opportunities to show their craft, due to the barriers they face in accessing the TV industry,” said a statement from Walters, Graham and Temple. “Cat and Melodie’s scripts are very different, but we simply could not separate them, so decided to make them both winners! Their writing is gorgeous, both displaying real heart, authentic characters and dynamic storytelling.
“We want to thank every single writer who took the time to enter the competition (and to apologise that it took longer than we wanted to complete it!). We also want to thank the brilliant judges – Lewis Arnold, Kayleigh Llewellyn, Ashley Walters and Jo Johnson – who gave up their valuable time to read the shortlisted scripts and help us decide the worthy winners.”
The final shortlist of ten included:
Cat Davies – The Bar
Melodie Karczewski – Great Minds
Jake Balmer – Don’t Care System
Finola Waller – They’ve Got Time
Michael Beck – Felt
Richard Dunford – Annaliese
Rebecca Jones – Big Dipper
Eve Ruck – Infiltration
Jennifer Roberts – The Thorough And Comprehensive History Of The Last Eight Months Of Allegra O’Hara, Deceased
Court Church – Tramp Lady
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